The Effects of Footbath Management on Digital Dermatitis Distribution

Year 2021, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 52 - 57, 24.12.2021

Oguzhan Kalyoncu , Emre Gürdal Yalçın Alper Özturan , İbrahim Akın

https://doi.org/10.53913/aduveterinary.993485

Abstract

Digital dermatitis (DD) is a common infectious disease that causes economic losses and lameness. In order to keep DD under control, the usage of footbaths is very important in intensive dairy farms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between footbath usage and the number of active lesions related to DD. In total of 1527 cattle from 6 dairy farms were evaluated to assess and correlate, the prevalence of DD and footbath practices. Information about the farm structure and management practices of footbaths were obtained through a questionnaire. We inspected all cow feet on DD lesions during the milking time and scored the lesions using six M-stages. Thereafter, we performed a chi square test to investigate the relation between digital dermatitis prevalence and footbath practices. We observed DD lesions in 500 feet (8.2%) of 338 (22.1%) dairy cows. Farms using dry manure practices as a bedding material showed a higher digital dermatitis prevalence (p < 0.001). Farms using formalin footbath practices had the lowest digital dermatitis lesions, whereas copper sulfate (CuSO4) practice had the highest prevalence (p < 0.001). Periodically renewed footbaths showed a statistically lower DD prevalence in farms (p < 0.001). We concluded that the implementation of proper footbath design and optimization of footbath management might help to reduce the prevalence of digital dermatitis in dairies.

Keywords

cattle, footbath, digital dermatitis, formalin, cooper sulfate

Supporting Institution

TÜBITAK-The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Project Number

2209/ A, Application Number- 1919B011602116

Thanks

Authors would like to thanks to The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey for funding the research project 2209/ A, Application Number- 1919B011602116 and Aykut Göktürk Üner for their contributions to statistical analysis.

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